Local News

Fort Morgan Council renews Queen Lounge liquor license

Owners explain steps taken at bar since violations during 2017 state sting

By Jenni Grubbs

The Fort Morgan Times

Posted:
03/10/2019 08:07:24 PM MDT

Nick and Amy Grantham, owners of the Queen Lounge, speak to the Fort Morgan City Council Tuesday night during the hearing about renewing their liquor license. (Jenni Grubbs / The Fort Morgan Times)

The Fort Morgan City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to renew the tavern liquor license for the Queen Lounge after hearing from license-holders Nick and Amy Grantham about the steps that have been taken since violations were recorded during a state sting in December 2017.

City Clerk/Public Information Officer John Brennan told the Council that Grantham Beverage, Inc., doing business as Queen Lounge, had entered into a stipulation and agreement order with the state Liquor Enforcement Division regarding those violations.

"So basically, it was an underage sale and a failure to check ID," Brennan said of the violations stipulated to in the agreement.

The Granthams had agreed to a 10-day suspension of the liquor license, with five days held in abeyance pending no further violations, and a fine of $525 paid in lieu of the active suspension for the other five days.

Brennan also pointed out that there were "no other known violation in this licensee's file."

Mayor Ron Shaver asked the Granthams what types of education and training they had done with their staff since then.

The Granthams replied that they have ramped up both training and security measures at the Queen.

"All of our bartenders are TIPS certified now," Nick Grantham said, referring to the Training for Intervention ProcedureS program for those who serve and sell alcohol. "We make them, require that."

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He also pointed out that the bar has a worker at the door checking ID's on Friday and Saturday nights, along with any other extremely busy times, such as during Bobstock or other special events happening downtown.

"We try to maintain door presence all the time," Nick Grantham said. "We actually have two guys that are out of the Army that watch the door for us. So we've taken steps to try to limit that."

Amy Grantham said training with staff happens at least monthly "just to make sure that our communication is all in order, so that everybody's on the same page."

Such training sessions also allow for discussing any issues experienced at the Queen and how they were and should be resolved, she said. This helps ensure that the bar staff is "working together as a team to ensure the safety of the community and the safety of our staff."

"So it sounds like you've been pretty proactive," Shaver told the Granthams.

"Yeah, we have," Nick Grantham said.

"It doesn't do anybody any good to get violations," Amy Grantham said.

Something that Nick Grantham said he wished they, as the bar's owners, had been allowed following the violations was to see the video footage of what had occurred.

"I think in the future that'd be cool if you could actually see the tape so you know, hey, how did we fail? Where was the mistake made, so we can how he even got in the building. Because we do have a door guy," Nick Grantham said.

However, he also said that the responsibility for checking the ID is still with the bartender before serving an alcoholic beverage, with the check at the door being a first but not only step in verifying age.

"No one really gets upset about having to show their ID," Nick Grantham said of bartenders asking for ID again.

Councilmember Lisa Northrup said she liked that there was a two-step process for the bar's busy periods.

Amy Grantham also pointed out that the now-former employee who caused those violations is "no longer associated with our establishment."

Apparently satisfied with what they heard from the Granthams, the Council voted in favor of renewing the liquor license for Grantham Beverage, LLC doing business as the Queen Lounge.

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